Put a Sign on It!

Having your own camping trailer is a statement in itself. But there seems to be something that makes people want to say even MORE with their signage!

This trailer has sign space painted right on it. The message can be changed with erasable markers.

Here's a little nudge that fits just perfectly atop the window in the door.

A tabletop chalkboard is one of the handiest means for making signs. Change the message any time!

Motivational quotes--when you find one that speaks to you, it'll speak to others as well!

Put your feet up! This crafty item is a footstool/step.

Here we have a welcome sign with a traveler's twist.

K is for…whomever or whatever you want to be in lights!

New Addition: 1965 Chief

I've been into the vintage-trailer hobby long enough to know a good buy when one comes along.

Which explains why I jumped on this 1965 Chief when it came up for sale. The rehab work was already done, and the price was more than reasonable. All I had to do was hook it up, bring it home, and move my own things into it.

The trailer came with a Western theme already started, including tooled-leather fabric on the cabinet doors and chamois-leather used as valances. Seeing as how my blood type is C, for Cowgirl, I knew I would have no trouble furnishing it to my liking.

The Chief's kitchen is in the front. True to the trends of 1965, the appliances are turquoise, and the cabinetry has blond veneer.

There's a nice nook of counter space to the left of the sink. It's just the right size for a small dorm fridge, should I choose to use one. At present, I'm using the space as a bar.

The rear of the trailer features an unusual layout, with a full-length gaucho-bed along the curb wall, and a shorter, kid-length gaucho-bed on the other. Both pull out from the wall. There's plenty of room for my favorite accessory, an electric mini-fireplace heater.

Another element of the unusual layout is the shelving nook in place of an enclosed cabinet. The previous owner trimmed it out with rope, for a nice Western touch.

What used to be a divided utensil drawer above the turquoise icebox has been converted--ingeniously--to a 3-bottle wine rack. The drawer front was removed for the holes to be cut, then trimmed with rope. It was then nailed back over the opening.

The original rear-ceiling light fixture was replaced with this homemade chandelier that uses vintage canning jars as the light globes. 'From something I saw on Pinterest,' I was told. The jars unscrew for safekeeping when the trailer is in transit.

Here's a closeup of the faux-tooled-leather treatment on the cabinet doors. The edges are trimmed with upholstery nails; the tooled-leather fabric is widely available (at Joanne's and WalMart, for instance).

A real chief's name seemed appropriate, so I settled on Crazy Horse.

It's a just-right new home for this crazily painted horse figurine, and my stash of turquoise-feather melamine dinnerware.

Just to Catch Things Back Up

After a fabulous January start to our new Girl Camping year, things took an unexpected slip. Literally.

Mr. Ed broke his ankle when he lost his footing on a patch of ice and fell down in front of the Girl Camp Cabin.

The repair took 7 screws and a metal plate. The recovery, and the caretaking, are still underway. Mr. Ed is still on crutches, and I am his mobility assistant.

Naturally, this put camping and most any other kind of traveling on a shelf for a while. Especially when winter made a decisive reappearance.

Frequent February view: From the window of the orthopedic surgeon's office.

Fortunately, my Mr. Ed is not the equine Mr. Ed, so a broken leg doesn't mean curtains. Thank goodness! As he's been mending, I've used some of the mostly indoor time at home to work on some trailer-embroidery projects.

Like this one…from a pattern drawn by Vicki Stanifer.

Finished and pressed:

This past weekend, early March things finally worked out for me to spend a couple of nights doing some Girl Camping at our winter trailer encampment on the Salmon River.

Where it was just so great to be outside in warmer air and to see things turning green. That was the best Girl Camping decor of all.

So that's what's been up with yours truly--how about you?

10 Ideas You Can Borrow for Girl Camping

1. Use an old ironing board as a sign. Bonus: Stand it up to make an extra table or an impromptu bar.

2. Transport treasures in a set of vintage luggage. Bonus: You can display the luggage itself once you've removed the items you put inside.

3. Use an old suitcase as a step. Tip: Reinforce the inside with scraps of lumber, and make a non-slip surface by affixing a carpet piece to the top.

4. Cut up old license plates to make signs. Bonus: They yield numbers as well as letters.

5. Make anchors for your awning-pole ropes. When you can't pound stakes into grass, these give you a way to anchor down the awing poles. For each, you'll need a large can, an extra-long eye bolt, a quick-link (it connects the rope to the eyebolt) and quick-mix cement.

6. Paint your propane tanks. Bonus: Add a basket of flowers to the top and you have an instant garden.

7. Make a pennant banner from vintage hankies. Bonus: Yours won't look like anyone else's.

8. Display your party clothes. Why save something as fun as these red shoes for just a single occasion?

9. Get creative with chalkboard paint.  Bonus: Any sign surface you make with it can be erased and used again.

10. Add whimsy with a simple but silly 'road sign.' Bonus: You can make one with nothing more than a few pieces of scrap wood, a handful of screws, and some white paint.

The Free Trailer, Transformed by Decor (Also Known as 'Shopping the House')

This is the 1961 Aloha compact that came my way, free, through a piece of good fortune. She had not been used in about 15 years, and is now undergoing the necessary rehab/maintenance to make her shine again.

But before I turned her into a shop project, I couldn't resist dolling her up a little, and making her comfy enough for a few nights' stay out in our yard. There's no better way to get to know a trailer before you get serious about the rehab.

The interim project called for an episode of Shop the House.

I found of set of trailer-sized curtains, sewn of vintage white chenille. I'd gotten these earlier from someone who wasn't using them anymore. They fit the windows perfectly. (It's amazing what curtains alone will do to create a sense of home in an old trailer, and with sliding clip rings, you make them instantly out of just about anything.)

I'd recently purchased some red and white enamelware, a small kitchen's worth, and the small red and white trailer is the perfect place for it.

The red tulips were a no-brainer--they were blooming in the garden at the time.

The tin toy sink and drainboard, from the '50s, found a perfect home on the trailer's small counter. It was down in our basement, with some other old toys.

By now, it was obvious that the trailer wanted to be red and white throughout. All these other R/W items were lurking in various closets and cubbies--even 'Life Goes to the Movies," from the '60s. The trailer needs little to make it charming and comfy, and that's good, because it isn't very big and would be cramped if overloaded with 'stuff.'

Outside: More red flowers, some small furniture, including the red and white screened cupboard, and her personality popped right out.

Then she got sassy, and demanded lights! She's just the right size for the 20-foot string.

After the fun, we're back to the dirty work, preparing to reseal and repaint. I like her in white, with a single red stripe, so I'm keeping that.

Oh, and I decided to name her Karma.

Vintage Trailer Names and Numbers

We camped with Sisters on the Fly last weekend, and in that faction of vintage-trailer enthusiasts, every member has a number and many trailers sport a name. Lots of creativity on display for both.

For instance, Sister 3267, owner of a gleaming aluminum Silver Streak, applied decals to an aluminum baking sheet for a sign that seamlessly matches the trailer.

Named for a relative of her owner, this trailer's name is Miss Wilma. She sports her membership number on the front of her step.

Here we have Just Breez'n Along, with her name painted on the front of her curved roof.

Same here with Wild Honey.

Sister 1276 has a patriotic-theme trailer, and boasts her number on her cooler.

We know a lot about Sister 3471 just from this sign. She likes pink, green, lace, and polka dots, and favors Jack Russell dogs.

Trailer Trash Diva announces herself with letters cut from license plates, applied to a piece of driftwood.

Sister 444 (yours truly) employs house letters on a repurposed drawer front.

The trailer's name, Iron Pony, is on the back, the better for other drivers to see it.

Just a sampling, hope to show you more as the Girl Camping season continues!